For many people, the mountains represent a landscape to admire or a place to relax, enjoying the clean air, the intense colors, and the immense spaces, which allow one to find oneself or sometimes "get lost" in the silence, far from the noise and crowds of cities and some beaches. For some, however, the mountains are passion and life: Edmond Joyeusaz, a great extreme skiing champion and former Italian skier, who won the
Italian Cup winner in 1984 and for years among the best Italian skiers, as well as Alpine Guides' World Ski Champion in 1999, belongs to this category of people. Edmond, who lives in Courmayeur (at the foot of Mont Blanc), has a very close bond with the peaks and enjoys a relationship of passion and challenge because, as he himself says: "The mountains are like a beautiful woman, you have to respect them, you can court them, but they will always decide whether to give in.".
Itinerary of Les Dames Anglaises
What was your path? I come from a background in competitive skiing, which was my primary occupation until I was 26 (my final year on the national team). At the same time, I became a federal alpine ski instructor and coach, and for over 40 years I have been a mountain guide with the "Società Guide Alpine di Courmayeur," which, founded in 1850, is the second-ranked organization in the world in terms of tradition, prestige, and seniority. I have always been drawn to steep skiing, which, I confess, I even practiced secretly when I was still a professional athlete. In 2007, after leaving my role as a federal coach, I chose to dedicate myself wholeheartedly to extreme descents, which I still practice with constant and endless excitement.
Which were the most significant? In 2015, I made the first descent of the south face of the Grand Combin (4,314 meters), the only one that has been repeated; in 2016, the first descent of the north face of the Dent Blanche (4,357 m); in 2017, the first descent of the south face of the Weisshorn (4,505 m); and in 2018, for my 60th birthday, I treated myself to the first complete descent from the summit of the Matterhorn (4,478 m). This last experience was a great satisfaction for me, since in 1975, the mountaineer Toni Valeruz was the first to ski the Matterhorn, descending from the east face, but not from the summit, while I managed to complete the entire descent.
Of all the descents, which was the most challenging? Definitely the Mont Blanc Brenva slope (Italian side), via the Poire serac: a challenge won at the age of 62 (editor's note: he was born on April 14, 1958). While many of my peers seek tranquility, I continue to need to push myself and my limits, which, very often, as I demonstrate with my exploits, are only mental. His philosophy? I make these descents exclusively for personal pleasure; leaving a trace with my skis on a virgin face is enormously gratifying. I usually complete one a year, and it allows me to "live" peacefully and fulfilled until the following spring.
Mont Blanc
What is the best time to challenge the mountains? Spring is the norm; in fact, I do all my runs in May, since in the dead of winter at those altitudes (above 4,000 m), on slopes above 45°, the snow is too cold; it doesn't stick to the steep, icy slopes and slides downhill. Spring snow, on the other hand, is moister and, thanks in part to more effective and direct sunlight, manages to "stick" even to steep rocks and walls. In any case, I don't decide when it's time to tackle an extreme descent; it's the mountain that tells me the right time... as if it were calling me back for a recurring appointment, year after year.
How do you study the right moment? Starting from the premise that tackling a descent without ideal conditions would be truly suicidal, and sadly, many mountaineers and skiers have paid with their lives for this misjudgment, I often have to wait a long time, scrutinizing the mountain from afar, observing it daily with binoculars, conducting aerial reconnaissance (I also know how to pilot), and checking at the foot of the rock faces. Only then, when everything is perfect (usually a 15-day window, from mid-May onward), does the mountain summon me, and I reach it.
The Matterhorn
Thanks to Carlotta Mollar for the cover photo
